As the school year comes to a close, I am busy getting my summer practice packets ready to give to all my students. This year I am doing something I haven’t done before. Presenting the Summer-Fun Communication and Literacy Gift Bag! Ta-Da! Yes, I went overboard.
All year, I have encouraged reading and literacy skills during my speech sessions. I was very inspired by Keli Richmond’s Literacy Speaks program which uses the written word in articulation therapy and encourages shared reading with students “just for the love of it!” Keli mentioned at CSHA last year, that she buys each of her students their very own book at the end of the year. I loved this idea as a way of encouraging a love of books and reading as well as speech and language skills.
I was a bit worried that ordering all my students a new book (along with some other fun items) would break the bank, but I was glad to find some websites that offered affordable books and goodies to include in my Communication and Literacy Gift Bags! In addition to a new book for all my students from Scholastic, I ordered them crayons, pencils, and a reading journal from Oriental Trading Company. I printed out the summer speech and language activity calendars from Speaking of Speech and ordered the Summer Bridge workbooks from Amazon. Summer Bridge workbooks are great for extra academic practice and help by bridging the summer gap from one grade level to the next. Scholastic’s 100 Words workbooks introduce kids to the words they need to read in the next grade level.
Here is what I’m putting in my Summer-Fun Communication and Literacy Gift Bags!
(Students who return any completed part of their summer activities (the reading journal, academic workbook pages, or speech and language activity calendars) will get a special prize in the Fall!)
Summer-Fun Communication and Literacy Gift Bags
1. Tote Bag
2. A New Book from Scholastic
3. Tropical Pencil
4. Patriotic, 4th of July, box of Crayons
5. A Summer Reading Journal
6. Speech and Language Summer Activity Packet (all speech kids will get one) Go to Speaking of Speech for tons of printable summer activities for speech and language practice!
7. Summer Bridge or 100 Words Book (for kids who need extra help with reading, writing, spelling, and math).
Here is how they turned out! I also included a mini water bottle and printed out an adorable gift tag from the amazing blog “Anything But Perfect.”
What are you giving your students to do over the summer? I’d love to hear your ideas! Please feel free to share any and all thoughts in the comments box!
Hope your school year was fabulous! Have a wonderful summer.
Heather
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